Gov. Mark Dayton said Friday that he was shocked to hear that there is an imbalance of funding between funding for the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the Twin Cities campus.

At a UMD forum held by Dayton and several state legislators, several people faculty and staff members complained about the disparity in state funding.

UMD receives about $28 million every two years from the state, down 45 percent from five years ago. The Twin Cities campus has seen its state funding drop by about 20 percent over that same time period.

After the forum Dayton said he could understand why people at UMD are bothered by different funding levels.

“It’s a serious reason for people here to feel like they’re being shortchanged and given a second rate status,” the governor said.

State Rep. Mary Murphy, DFL- Hermantown said she has a message for the State Board of Regents, which distributes university funding.

“I would really like you to know that UMD is part of the system, and that UMD deserves their fair share, per capita!” Murphy said.

UMD leaders also complained about fewer state dollars for capital improvements.

About the blogger

Alex Friedrich reports on higher education issues for MPR News. Among the stories he has covered: the fall of the Berlin Wall, aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, 2003 Moscow suicide bombing and 2004 presidential elections in the Republic of Georgia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s in European political economy from the London School of Economics.